The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 4, Matches 82-87

What is your favourite song in each match? Vote in all six matchups!

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  • Total voters
    8
  • Poll closed .
@LooseCannon deserves standing ovation for GMSC so far (I think it's a big step up from GMAC organisation-wise and way more interesting) and I also have to applaud @MrKnickerbocker for putting Spotify playlists of each round and thus making my listening experience way easier and more enjoyable.
thanks buddy. And yes thanks to @MrKnickerbocker who has stepped up with the playlists as well!

I really wanted to better the GMAC, which I still think is the best game ever run on the forum, and it's looking good so far. We'll see how it goes as we work through the group stage, which will take roughly 4x as long as the prelims.
 
Hahahahahah, good luck, my friend!

I really, really do love and appreciate the music. From everything Mercyful Fate to King's solo work, I haven't heard much music that wasn't quite good.

But that voice.

That fucking voice.

It's not one I can grow accustomed to.

And it's so ... inexplicable as well.

I mean, it would be so easy to just not do it. Poof! Instant improvement!

The main problem is not that it's unpleasant or weird or abrasive
- I vividly remember the old TV interview with Tom Waits where the host asks "How does somebody with a voice like yours decide to become singer and succeed?" with Tom answering "Well, it was either a career in showbusiness or career in air conditioning and refrigeration." -
it's just that it's silly and ridiculous, which is the one thing that's hard to accept in the rock/metal paradigm.


We'll see how it goes as we work through the group stage, which will take roughly 4x as long as the prelims.

"I'll be there for you
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe, I wanna be the air for you
I'll be there for you
I'd live and I'd die for you
I'd steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can't say what love can do
I'll be there for you"
 
Yes I love the immediacy that the song starts with the guitar riff and drum flourish cutting any unnecessary bs but mostly the part where voice competes with multiple solos by KK & Glenn.

Plus in your face production. It’s a huge song, listen again :D
 
Really? It´s not even Top 100 for me.:D
Although I never tried to make a Priest Top 100...

I guess it might also depend on what you expect from / love about the band, maybe?

For example, I definitely do love their formulaic sound from the 80s on and I'm genuinely thrilled by Freewheel Burning and the guitar shenanigans there... but my personal favourite album is Sin After Sin and one the the reasons - a pretty important one - is that the album has The Last Rose of Summer - one of the more surprising, untrivial tracks by them.

On the other hand, Painkiller (the song) was always brought down for me by the vocals (this is one Priest song that could have been, for all intents and purposes, sung by King Diamond), despite the guitarwork being arguably their peak.

I'm not sure why Rapid Fire in particular - to me it was one of the less memorable tracks off that album - but I'd be genuinely interested to hear the reasons/analysis thereof.

EDIT: Thanks!
 
I hate SOAD. Linkin Park, almost by default.

I will clearly be voting for my own nominee in Unleash the Archers.

Anthrax over Metallica by virtues of a good song over a bad song.

Ghost over a meh Judas Priest track for me.

The symphonic-off was a tough one, but I gotta go with Avantasia.

I really liked that King Diamond track.
 
System of a Down fainted, Linkin Park wins. Riot falls on their own sword against Unleash the Archers. Anthrax lays down the law on Metallica. Judas Priest mows down Ghost. Avantasia defeats Nightwish in a punless matchup. Judas Priest unhorses King Diamond.






Part 1, Round 7, Matches 37-42


Play In Round
Match
37
The Writing on the Wall Division​
Thin Lizzy - Rosin Dubh (Black Rose) A Rock Legend
vs.
Uriah Heep - The Wizard​
Popoff 500
Nominators
Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 38
Trios Match​
Match 38
The Writing on the Wall Division​
Firewind - Hate World Hero​
vs.​
Manowar - Brothers of Metal Pt. 1​
vs.​
Theocracy - I Am​
@DJMayes
Nominators
Best Music Art 100​
Nominators
Links
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links


Play In Round
Match 39
Mark Wilkinson Division​
Mastodon - Sultan's Curse
vs.
Symphony X - Fallen​
@Confeos
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 40
Mark Wilkinson Division​
Pierce the Veil - King For a Day
vs.
Sunn O))) - It Took the Night to Believe​
Youtube 50
Nominators
Radio EHS 100​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 41
Live at Donington Division​
Fastway - Say What You Will
vs.
Iced Earth - Melancholy (Holy Martyr)​
Popoff 500
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 42
Live at Donington Division​
Five Finger Death Punch - Wrong Side of Heaven
vs.
Evanescence - My Immortal​
Youtube 50
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links
 
First matchup might as well be called the Steve Harris division. Black Rose is one of those songs that makes me think that despite having some massive hits, Thin Lizzy is a super overlooked hard rock band. This song is oozing with great guitar melodies/harmonies, and rocking riffs. You can easily hear a throughline from this to something like Rime of the Ancient Mariner or Death of the Celts. The moving parts, dynamic shifts, and emphasis on guitar melodies is basically the formula that created Maiden. The proggy-ness of the song is also something that you don't really hear in their big songs (although there are hints of it). It's good to hear songs like this crop up once in awhile as hopefully it reminds folks that this band has a deeper catalog than they get credit for. The Wizard is a decent track, really more of an intro for that album. Similarly it's a band that has had a huge influence on Harris but I'm not sure the song really captures them best. Makes me think Popoff just placed it because it's the opener when Traveller in Time is much more representative of the album. Meh.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is mostly aware of Gus G through his brief stint with Ozzy (Scream wasn't a bad album and Gus was not a bad choice at all). Unfortunately that's about all I have to say about Hate World Hero. Kinda generic throwback Metal. Decently produced and well performed, but really lacking anything in the way of interesting riffs, melodies or even lyrics. It actually kinda comes off as something you might find in a royalty free music library when searching for something like "uplifting heavy metal." Pretty good solo, but not really earned. Like many shredders before him, Gus G seems to forget that there's more to a song than the solo. Brothers in Metal is ridiculous but at least has a message and some memorable one liners. It's the song equivalent of a B movie. Not very well made, but it's hilarious and endlessly entertaining and I have to give it points for that. Lyrically I would rather listen to Brothers in Metal than I Am, but the Theocracy track smokes everything else here in every other way. Great dynamics and riffing and stays engaging throughout its runtime. The vocal harmonies are cool and this song contains pretty much everything you would expect from a competent cheesy Metal epic. Really it's the riffing, harmonies and tightness of the drums that puts this one over the edge for me. And unlike the Firewind track, the solo here comes at the perfect time and really elevates the track (it's also the best of the three solos in this division.

Emperor of Sand has to be my least favorite recent Mastodon album, if not my least favorite overall. It's just so bland, yet somehow its sandwiched between two of their most creative works (Once More and Hushed and Grim). Sultans Curse is one of the better tracks off the album, although I would much prefer something like Steambreather or Precious Stones. Sultan's Curse also follows a tradition I've noticed where they frequently don't put their most memorable track at the start of the album. There's some decent riffing but it plods pretty hard in the middle and ends up being quite forgettable. There are just so many better Mastodon tracks that are more worthy of appearing in this game. On the other end of the spectrum, Fallen is nothing but prog metal goodness. The V album is often overlooked but is actually up there with Symphony X's best work. Fallen is a great example of a track that fits the overall album concept and has plenty in the way of proggy goodness but at its core is still a concise ripping track. The band fires on all cylinders here and its a pleasant surprise to see one of their lesser known tracks represented - hopefully it brings them some deserved attention.

I was going to give whoever nominated Pierce the Veil major props for being brave enough to do that on this forum, but then I saw it was part of the YouTube 50 which makes sense. I'm guessing the majority of songs on that list are not actually Metal and won't last long in this game. As LC says, lots of chaff to sort through. With all of that being said, I'm actually going to vote for King For a Day because at least it did some stuff. Count me in the group that just doesn't really get Sun O)))). I can enjoy some ambient music or post rock music, but it has to have some more going on dynamically. The constantly repeating riff, while ominous, gets pretty tedious after awhile and the unintelligibility of the vocals is distracting more than it is effective.

I've decided that while I do draw the line on certain artists (e.g. I'm not going to vote for Burzum or any confirmed Nazis), I'm going to have to vote for some Insurrectionist Metal once in awhile in this game. I guess I find voting for generic cock rock to be more ethically questionable than voting for Iced Earth in this case. Melancholy is definitely one of the better Iced Earth songs and on musical merit alone deserves to be in this game.

In the last Nu Metal round, I mentioned that SOAD and Linkin Park were among the few interesting artists who were truly doing their own thing in a sea of copy cats. Well, Five Finger Death Punch is one of those copycats. Some of the most boring, generic, and aurally assaulting music that I know. Super overproduced and calculated to be edgy to teenagers, definitely one of the worst remnants of that era and it blows my mind that their music is still popular enough to be on these lists. My Immortal wins this by default, but I do want to put in a good word for that Evanescence debut. Another band that transcended that era, mostly for Amy Lee's fantastic vocals and songwriting. My Immortal is a good demonstration of both of those things, although I could do without the overly dramatic strings. I wouldn't say it's a great choice for this game being that it is a piano ballad, but I would listen to this over 90% of other nu Metal any day of the week.
 
I had never heard Lizzy’s tune before and damned is it cool! The legendary Gary Moore finally playing on an album with Lynott and interpreting a bunch of traditional songs into a massive slab of melodic, harmonized proto-metal? Sign me the hell up. No offense to Uriah Heep, as The Wizard is a fine enough little song in its own right, but it sounds so scant in comparison to the epic Roisin Dubh.

Firewind have a mid-grade cheese platter here. It’s trying really hard to be Brie, but it’s just skim mozzarella. Manowar have the best chorus and the dumbest of everything, as usual. Theocracy have an overly melodramatic singer (I really hate his low range in the beginning) and are so obviously Christian it hurts…BUT they also have the best music here by a long mile. It’s incredibly good instrumentation across the board. I can overlook the lyrics in this case, especially since the other two songs are certainly no better in that department (they just aren’t singing about Jesus). Easy vote for I Am.

Sultan’s Curse is Mastodon doing what they do. Everything about it is fine - there’s proggy sections, shouty vocals, melodic vocals, Ozzy vocals, great drumming, decent enough guitar work that is occasionally interesting…but nothing is memorable. As with most Mastodon, it just doesn’t move me in literally any way. The first four seconds of Fallen are better than the entire Mastodon song. Symphony X are on top form here, one of their absolute best albums and a stellar song. It’s heavy as hell, but so incredibly melodic and majestic and polyrhythmic yet catchy beyond all get-out. I love this band and this song. Sir Russell Allen and The Jersey Basement Boyz for the win.

WTF is Pierce The Veil? It’s metalcore, it’s emo/pop-punk, it’s got some electronic bits…just WTF is this shit? The auto tune is out of control here. I really, really don’t like this schizophrenic “metal”. It’s bad. It’s bad and I don’t enjoy it. And then we have sunn O))) who literally couldn’t be more different. Nothing happens in this “song”, although it would be a great soundtrack for a haunted house. I’m giving an incredibly bitter vote to Pierce The Veil because, as @Mosh said, at least it does literally anything.

Fastway is a tiny little slice of innocent 80s butt rock. It’s got solid everything, including a strong desire to sound like classic Rainbow, it’s just not a great song. The most impressive thing about this band is that somehow the lead singer is the main man in the infinitely better Flogging Molly. Melancholy is a classic Iced Earth tune with Barlow swinging his emotional performance to the rafters. It’s overplayed and a bit too repetitive, but an easy winner here. Also a rare IE song with a solo, much less a good one by the killer Larry Tarnowski.

The final match calls into question what we are actually voting for here. Objectively, My Immortal is a far better song with a much better performance. This FFDP song, and all FFDP songs, are numbskull bro metal written by pop AI bots with distortion and a bit of yelling added on top. But, at the core, Wrong Side of Heaven is more of a metal song. My Immortal is a piano ballad that has zero rock or metal elements whatsoever. It could be a Sarah McLachlan song. I love Sarah McLachlan, but I wouldn’t nominate her for the GMSC. That said, I’m still voting for Evanescence because fuck FFDP. Also, I would argue that the passion from Amy Lee is more metal than any single element from the other dummies.
 
1. Thin Lizzy wins the first match for me. Just a more musically interesting song.

2. Theocracy >>> Firewind >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Manowar. I didn't even realize Theocracy was Christian until like minute seven, because sometimes I forget lyrics exist. Excellent song. Manowar is hilarious, by the way.

3. Poor Mastodon. I just finished a deep dive of their entire discography, and this song falls into their "good" category (for reference, all of Crack the Skye is God tier). But against Symphony X? Do you know what songs beat Symphony X? Other Symphony X songs. That's pretty much it.

4. This had me rolling (and not like Limp Bizkit, because if they make an appearance in this, I'm done). Hard nope on the emo band, but man was I unprepared for Sunn O))). What is this? Both of these songs made me laugh, but I think with enough hardcore substance abuse I could actually enjoy a Sunn O))) concert. I mean, look at this...


I'm there. No joke.

5. Obviously Iced Earth, and this is far from my favorite track of theirs being a stereotypical IE ballad. Also, why does everyone hate Jon Schaffer? Did he do something other than write some killer albums?

6. Let me get this out of the way: I am not a FFDP fan. At all. But this song has a great message, and, you know, has actual metal stuff in it. I don't know what that Evanescence song is, but it's not metal. Elton John is more metal. Evanescence should tour with Sunn O))), but they'd have to open, because no one can touch that.
 
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Too bad for Heep I heard the amazing Blind Guardian cover before and that's better than the original. I mentioned earlier I should check out more of Thin Lizzy and this song proves that once again.

I almost wanted to vote for Firewind but then I heard Theocracy and. Wow! Best discovery so far in this GMSC! This is right up my alley baby, going to check this band asap. Amazing vocalist! Oops, there's a ManOwaR song in this round too...Theocracy!

The next match is no contest really. I can´t stand the vocals in Mastodon. Symphony X all the way!

Sun O)))) unthrones Darkthrone for worst song so far, sorry but this is...hmm...bloody awful.
Not a fan of the screaming in the Pierce The Veil song but they allready won by default.

Fastway sounds like if Motörhead and ZZ Top had a bastard lovechild, not my thing. It has no chance against a far superior fantastic Iced Earth song.

The lady on the flat above me listened to My Immortal on repeat back in the days which made me hate the song with a passion. So a winner by default again: Five Finger Death Punch. And the song is quite good too.
 
"Roisin Dubh (Black Rose) A Rock Legend" has some pleasantly proggy undercurrents. The vocal melodies sound very similar to pretty much every other Thin Lizzy song I've heard, and the vocal parts feel a bit repetitive to me, but the extended instrumental section has lots of cool elements (I think I even hear some inspiration for Spinal Tap's "Stonehenge" in there!). "The Wizard" has a nice acoustic vibe and memorable melodies, but it's pretty simple and straightforward. Not particularly keen on either song, but I guess I'll give it to Lizzy for having more interesting music. Winner: Thin Lizzy - "Roisin Dubh (Black Rose) A Rock Legend"

"Hate World Hero" feels like a by-the-numbers aping of mid-80s synth-assisted hard rock, but at least it's an effective one. The chorus is pretty good and the solo is great, though the song is derivative as hell. "Brothers Of Metal (Part 1)" is cheesy as fuck, and I really don't like the half-singing approach to the vocals, but I have to admit that some of the melodies are pretty catchy and the solo is solid. "I Am" has some seriously low-rent synths, and I'm not a fan of the lyrics or the very obvious vocal punch-ins, but pretty much everything else about the music is way beyond its competitors here if you can accept a little cheese. Great atmosphere and melodies, and much more textured songwriting. I also love the vaguely neoclassical solo that starts a little before the 8 minute mark. Sorry, @DJMayes, but @JudasMyGuide's nominee takes this one easily. Winner: Theocracy - "I Am"

"Sultan's Curse" has the typical elements of a Mastodon song -- great unique riffage, some progginess, good atmosphere, but uneven vocals and melodies. I enjoyed it well enough while it was playing, but it's not the kind of thing that grabbed me enough to make me want to seek it out again. "Fallen" has a nice juxtaposition of haunting synths with chunky and sometimes neoclassical riffage, and I like the interplay between the guitar and vocal rhythms, though the vocal melodies aren't all winners. Love the neoclassical guitar & synth duet and the tradeoff solos that follow, though. Both of these songs are pretty good, but sorry @Confeos, I have to go with @Wogmidget's nominee in the end. Winner: Symphony X - "Fallen"

"King For A Day" has some catchy melodies, but the alternately screamy and whiny emo vocals are really grating to me. This isn't something that I would ever normally choose to listen to. But its competitor "It Took The Night To Believe" is from everyone's favorite band Sunn O))), who don't exactly play songs, but go on extremely slow, repetitive, doomy jazz odysseys instead. Amazingly, the bile-soaked vocals here are actually less annoying to me than Pierce The Veil's, and for some reason I'm disliking this incoherent musical soup a little bit less than I dislike its rival. There are no winners here, but forced to choose... Winner: Sunn O))) - "It Took The Night To Believe"

I had completely forgotten about this Mötley Crüe clone until the GMSC forced me to remember. "Say What You Will" is totally serviceable, with a strong riff and solid vocal melodies, but it goes in one ear and right out the other. "Melancholy (Holy Martyr)" starts off with a nice acoustic feel, but Barlow sounds absolutely cringeworthy on the soft, emotive parts here. He sounds better on the heavier parts, but most of the vocal melodies aren't very memorable, and the song gets very repetitive as it goes on. This track is more coherent than a typical Iseditionist Earth song, probably because it keeps it down to two main musical themes and a solo; but what's here isn't particularly interesting to me. Not big on either track, but sorry @KiDDo, I think the list nominee is a little better in this case. Winner: Fastway - "Say What You Will"

"Wrong Side Of Heaven" is pretty pleasant through the verse, but the chorus sounds like some watered down Nickelback leftovers, and the brief screamy bits sound super forced. Way overproduced, too. And the gratuitous loops make this feel like some executive said "get me a cross between Linkin Park and Nickelback that won't alienate pre-teen girls", and this is where things wound up. It's not bad, per se, but it's also not good. As for its competitor, I'm a fan of the first Evanescence album, but I've never been a fan of "My Immortal". The verses are pretty good, but that chorus is totally flaccid and it gets repeated way too much. The material doesn't earn the string accompaniment, either. But again, forced to choose, I guess the Evanescence track feels more authentic. Winner: Evanescence - "My Immortal"
 
Match 37 - Uriah Heep
Black Rose is really cool song even the part where Phil, in the middle of the song, went into another room to sing. That big bulk of instrumental is something I wish I hear more in songs, but... I'm too nostalgic about Uriah Heep. The Wizard is far from their best and if we're putting them in metal competition, there are a lot of songs which could present their "metal" side more (Bird of Prey comes to mind).

Match 38 - Theocracy
Eleven minutes is a bit much, they got me interested, but I don't see replay potential in here. Oh, and I don't know if they do live shows, but if they do (and they play this song live) hats off to singer for remembering this word salad. Firewind is just too stock for my taste. I'd never guess this Manowar song was called Brothers of Metal. It's not like that from 200 words that are in lyrics 18 of them are "metal" and 12 of them are "brother" (runner-ups: fighting - 6 ; steel - 5 ; together - 4)

Match 39 - Mastodon
I really haven't invested myself in Symphony X and I don't blame myself. I blame you guys. We started that discography run and then it just ended with first two albums. And you know what is the only thing that stuck since then? Shades of Grey. There. Your fault. OTOH I loved Emperor of Sand when it came out, haven't listened to it in a while but even their mediocre song is enough.

Match 40 - Pierce the Veil
I'm voting for whatever angsty kids from wealthy suburbs are listening because Radio EHS owes me 6 minutes of my life.

Match 41 - Iced Earth
Fastway has a nice piece of food but it isn't seasoned. Melancholy comes from "Something Wicked"

Match 42 - Evanescence
I loved this song when it came out, but as far as I remember, version I had was only Amy and piano. Nowadays everywhere is this version where the rest of the band chips in at the end of the song. Speaking of 5FDP, I always though "Well, I would hear about you guys if Blabbermouth wasn't pushing articles about your dysfunctional behavior" Then couple of years ago they headlined over Megadeth and I was like "Damn, either Dave is still recovering or there is something about these guys" Heard a couple of songs and "Nah, MegaDave is recovering". And then I heard this song and... Ivan Moody, I know you're reading this so here something to pick at your brain for the rest of the day: I haven't heard such a bile of pretentious fuckery since Bono Vox opened his mouth on stage"
 
My relationship with Uriah Heep is rather complex. Being one of the bands that were able to cross the Iron Curtain, it is - in my father's generation, at least - oft overrated. Meaning, just because their "Western" albums were being sold on the black market right next to Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, they must be pretty much homoousian, right? Right?
(to a certain degree, similar thing happened with Abba and Boney M)

My own experience and appreciation had to overcome this inherent over-appreciation that was present all around, as well as the general exaggeration of their importance and competence, while trying to like the band. They tend to be rather silly often, in a way that is somehow altogether unlike the silliness I crave for and appreciate in vintage power metal. I'm learning to respect them less than my immediate region and more than the overall public does. Instrumentally, vocally, conceptually, I can't really help myself from feeling they are the epitome of a second grade, quite miserably so.
And yet, this is a song about a wizard.

Orb.jpg

Well, of course it's not really about the wizard at all, these are general hippie-isms, which - somehow - do not trigger people as much as the Theocracy lyrics do, even though they are way cheesier and do not quote thousand-years-old literature... oh well. But to every DnD nerd, this is a beloved, nostalgia-fuelled classic.
Byron is suprisingly tolerable here, I like the melodies, the shift from the purely acoustic shuffle to the mid-section packing some more punch and - probably most important of all - it was covered by Blind Guardian.

And yet it is pitted against Róisín Dubh, which is downright unfair. Not only are Thin Lizzy the hard rock band that can run with almost the singer-songwriter emotional street-cred and not only did they possess the penchant for producing perfect guitar harmonies - especially since on this album Gary Moore himself was back in the band for a while - but this hard-rock-Celtic-general-folk fusion is just so captivating, so catchy, so unable to be overplayed, so stellar, it just might be the pinnacle of Lizzy's considerable career. Thin Lizzy, even though I was really tempted to vote for the underdog here.

------

Now, first of all, I'd like to stress that most of the Theocracy band (apart from maybe one member, IIRC?) are Protestant and not Catholic. And honestly, it shows - not only would Catholics probably make the message in the art much obliquer and veiled and less obvious - think Lord of the Rings vs. Narnia - but also they would probably speak more in riddles, allusions, parables and similes - to find the archetypal virtue even as you might not mention God at all - as compared to Theocracy's almost anxiously obssesive striving for keeping it purely Bible-based and literally quoting the text, with almost a fundametalistic care.

I'm saying this partly because I'd like to stress that I didn't nominate Theocracy purely because they are "Christian rock" - although I was surely tempted to do so at least once during my nominations; I indeed had an idea to throw purely Christian bands here, and good one to boot - think Mortification's Scrolls of the Megilloth, Antestor's The Forsaken, Hope for the Dying's Aletheia, Extol's Burial or self-titled... but I decided not to in the end. As such, I merely included Theocracy because I didn't feel like I had enough of the power-prog type there and I had a hunch they in particular might be reasonably popular around here, music-wise. In fact, in the end I decided to pick them over Seventh Wonder's Breaking the Silence ... and I think I did well (though it's also because BTS doesn't work for me as well when not sequencing into Hide and Seek like on the album).

Also, to everyone who has problems with the lyrics - try to think of me and how many times have I (or will I in the future of this cup) have to overcome some blasphemous, occult or hollywood-Satanist bullshit that is just as cheesy, way more immature and doesn't even take literal quotes from actual texts two thousand years old or older (there is quite a lot of Old Testament here as well). Let's not dwell too deep on the lyrics in general, okay?
(honestly, this irks me a bit - there is a lot of shitty lyrics here and nobody cares, but suddenly, oh, it's actually the greatest metal lyrics cup! and though we haven't been talking about lyrics the whole time, suddenly we have to mention them... Really, mates, bugger off or I will complain each and every time about some stupid occult bullshit that we'll have here.)

So, like I said above, I nominated I Am because I think it's an absolutely beautiful song, in fact it's on a somewhat different level even compared to the - rather sublime - As the World Bleeds album and their discography in general.
IF you want to sing about YHWH, "I am that I am", the capo di tutti capi, you should bring your A-game ... and they did. Matt Smith has an admirable range and flexibility in his voice (fun fact: he also recorded the entire first album of the band by himself, though here by As the World Bleeds they were a regular band already) and especially the the multi-part harmony section is genuinely awe-inspiring. The sound is tight, the rhythm section packs a punch, there's nice lead guitar galore, the Celtic prancing, the short Dream Theateresque wankery and although it's multi-part and shifts in tempo, it is masterfully crafted - the changes are all really fluent, the song makes sense, it's ridiculously catchy, it's just...

200w.gif


Compared to that, Firewind, whom I actually genuinely like - though it's hard to find a power metal band I wouldn't like at least somewhat - are unfortunately much weaker. Might be a choice of song as well - the entire Forged by Fire album is nice and good, but isn't at the top of their discography for me - I admit that the chorus is surprisingly wistful and memorable, the overall slow-burn atmosphere of the track is solid and I am rather partial about the solo, but it stands no chance here, sorry.

Manowar, on the other hand, have definitely had their weaker moment here - and I like the band, up to Triumph of Steel at least.
This is not even particularly catchy or cheesy - it's just... pedestrian. Unmemorable and lackadaisical, the crowd barking "BROTHERS OF METAL", please, no. And again, it's not Manowar hate - the band can (well, more precisely, could) do much better.
Also, their first album with the nonce on the guitar! What a threshold!

(P. S. - anyone has an idea why this is Pt. 1? There's no Pt. 2 on the album. Not that I'm complaining, really, I don't think I really need the continuation, it's just weird)

THEOCRACY FOR THE WIN!

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Oh, boy. Not talking about their objective qualities whatsoever, let it be held against me that I listen to Mastodon much more than I listen to Symphony X nowadays. Their particular branch of melodies and riffs - and the overall stoner atmosphere - is somehow harder to overplay for me. And yet, when I was re-playing their discography recently, I was surprised at how much did the Emperor of Sand drop for me in my list. Apart from Roots Remain and maybe Jaguar God, the album is really pedestrian, hollow and bordering on annoying, with the particular type of choruses and riffs (and general songwriting) they went for there. Sultan's Curse is one of the better songs of the bunch - the main riff is itself better than half the album - but for Mastodon song it's pretty mid-tier.

On the other hand, although I don't like V - The New Mythology Suite as much as most Symph X fans do (and that fact pissed off Loosey in the previous cup so much we had an altercation so sever I actually left the forum for a while, which seems rather funny nowadays - like Woody Allen says, "comedy = tragedy + time") - Fallen might be their absolutely best shorter track they ever did. The off-kilter riff, the immaculate melodic flow from the verses to the chorus, the chorus itself... it's pretty much perfect. Allen is genuinely infectious here and even Rullo is overdoing himself - and he has a pretty high standard himself in general. The instrumental section resulting in the chorus... This is one song I play regularly even when I'm not in a Symph X mood. Symphony X, no contest (and Mastodon are one of my favourite bands! Heck!)

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I very carefully checked who nominated the Pierce the Veil song so as not to be too offensive to a fellow member of the forum. Youtube 50. Oh, well.
Fucking hell, what is this buggeration? The production and the vocals are godawful, I mean, this is literally not only single-handedly the worst song in this cup so far, but the worst song I've heard in the past month or so at least. It sounds as if you combined Tokio Hotel with crabcore.
To paraphrase Todd in the Shadows - You know, there's a famous quote (repeatedly attributed to several famous people), saying "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture." Sometimes it's really hard and inadequate, you're trying to evaluate the atmosphere and authenticity, you may talk about modes used or technical proficiency or lyrics or production... but sometimes it's a relief to simply say "it's an ASS song that sounds like ASS."

I know I might sometimes come across as too curmudgeonly, caustic, ageist or whatever. I might be sometimes too critical, even though my harsh words are sometimes intertwined with the fact I can on some level enjoy even the songs that I'm hating on or the fact I care for the bands in question and would love to see them do better.
But these I just want to see gone. Completely, utterly gone. This is what's wrong with the world today. I thought this particular trend/genre has already passed, but somehow it became even more annoying in the intermediate years.
Please, treat these fucking embryos to the usual Rum, Sodomy and the Lash.

For an intentionally out-there gimmick band like Sunn O))), I'm surprised how much I'm enjoying this "stoned drone with random gurglings", but maybe it's because I'm listening to this after the Veil has already been Pierced and there's blood on the bedsheet. This is more or less a horror music soundtrack - or at least, it's the most charitable approach one can take - and as such, it does have a rather untrivial atmosphere and my reaction was oscillating between "actually cool" and "fuck, that's hilarious" so much I lost myself in the end. Even for a doom metal afficionado (and for someone who listened way too much to Potmos Hetoimos - especially Paragon Trisagion - way back when), this is definitely too out there, but it is still something, so I'm definitely voting for Sunn O))) here.

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Nice video you have there, Fast Eddie. Very... subtle.
But that aside, I must say I am pleasantly surprised with this. I was never of the mind to go and try out "the band with the Motorhead guitarist and the UFO bassist", but although this song is just as generic hard rock as I suspected, it has a really nice groove going on, it's pleasantly catchy the guitars rip, the production packs a punch... and...
...what the fuck? The vocals are DAVE KING? THE FLOGGING MOLLY DAVE KING? What the fuck is he doing here? Also, I would never guess, because he sounds completely different here, but does a great job all the same.

Iced Earth are once again bringing my favourite album to the table and I'm probably expected to vote for them based on that reason alone, but I'm not really sure. The Melancholy chorus, while catchy af, always sounded a bit too cheesy to me and I don't really like how Barlow sounds on the balladic verse. Also, Watching Over Me is better, kinda similar and close to this very track on the album. I admit that I might have enjoyed this track less than I enjoyed the simplistic Fastway offering.

So, which way, Western man? Hot birds or the insurrection?

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Well, since I already voted for Insurrectionist Earth several times in this cup, my support of the Cause is probably duly noted and I'm somewhat inclined to succumb to the sins of the flesh here. Fastway, surprisingly.

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Ah, another Youtube 50. I had the utmost misfortune to see Five Finger Fisting Sniff opening for ...Maiden, was it? dunno, it's 10 or more years already - and the experience was indeed terrible, though I somewhat warmed towards them in the meantime. Or maybe I haven't and it's just that next to Pierce the Vein with Prince Albert pretty much everything would sound heavenly, even another, only less obnoxious modern core track.
But this is indeed better. The vocals are not immediately vomit-inducing, the production sounds less artificial and even natural sometimes, the overall result is rather catchy, I'm ashamed to say, and I find the way they try to bring out the pathos rather charming. So, a vet remembrance song, huh? Well, I am a cheap whore and I approve. Overall, it sounds a lot like Nickelback at their most tolerable - and I don't have problem with Nickelback at their most tolerable.
I'm honestly torn between "this is the worst case of flagrant macho sentimentalism imaginable" and "I'm actually somewhat moved by this". I don't know, really, I guess I'll have to give the fingers another sniff and deduce where they were. I really hope this is just an outlier that for some inexplicable reason clicked and not a general trend of losing good taste on my behalf.

Man, besides the fact my wife would probably kill me on the spot if she found out I voted for My Immortal of all things, I still get PTSD from this song since the day it was everywhere and especially on every "I'm so special, running mascara with tears, crying angels" MySpace teenage girl's ringtone.
Which reminds me - have you lot read (or read of) the infamous My Immortal fanfic? Its bile-fascination appeal hasn't been mitigated even with the passing years, really, and
"Hi my name is Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way and I have long ebony black hair (that's how I got my name) with purple streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and icy blue eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell me I look like Amy Lee (AN: if u don't know who she is get da hell out of here!)."

That said, beyond stating the obvious and overlooking the second life of the song, it's really just a somewhat nice piano ballad that on its own would be pretty inoffensive, but has been overplayed and overused, sucking the subtle charm it once may have had right out of it. For what it's worth, I like Dream Theater's homage Answer Lies Within much more.

Also, I would argue that the passion from Amy Lee is more metal than any single element from the other dummies.
That may be true, but while I rather like her voice and don't mind Evanescence in general, the oversentimentalism here hurts her voice a bit, honestly. Well, maybe it's just me.

Also, nobody will convince me it wasn't Amy Lee in particular (and not, for example, Vanessa Carlton) who was seminal in giving us the likes of Christina fucking Perri, aka the eleventh curse Moses decided not to set loose upon the poor Pharaoh after all, 'cause that'd be too cruel.

Since Evanescence seem to be in the risk of winning, I'll go with the sentimental dudebros (or, eh, ladblokes) here and reluctantly vote for what every woodcutter can only wish he had and that's Five Fingers.
 
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